Star Crossed
by TheGirlWithFarTooManyIdeas
Summary: Mid GSD. After the Break the World incident, Dearka is worried about Miriallia, despite them having been apart after an argument following the original war. Once he has a moment, he goes down to Orb to find her...some passions never fade, but only lie dormant thanks to miscommunications. Dearka/Miriallia, fluff with a little angst.


**Star Crossed**

 **Unashamed, Dearka/Miriallia fluff with some angst. Because Destiny's take on shipping is seriously depressing...either you die tragically (Stella), get separated (Cagalli), or are poorly written. (hinthint LacusKira hinthint) Well, let me inject some happiness back into this narrative.**

 _ **48 Hours after Break the World Incident**_

He kept looking at the phone terminal. It was kind of pathetic. Here he was; veteran of Jachin Due, Gundam Pilot and ZAFT Red Coat, utterly afraid to pick up the phone and dial a number. _Her_ number. It had been weeks since he'd talked to her – she wasn't always easy to get a hold of, either that or she was avoiding him. He'd meant to get around to it...and now Break the World had happened.

They had gone into that mission, which then turned into a battle, knowing that they wouldn't be able to prevent everything. The colony had gotten too close, and was too big, and there hadn't been enough time to destroy it completely. It was either the deaths of everyone on earth...or the deaths of some of them. It was truly morbid to think about...and there was nothing quite like the loathing it had caused in him towards those GINNs that had tried to stop him. He'd been relieved when they pulled the mission off; and then there had been the Minerva pitching in further by descending into the atmosphere to destroy as much debris as they could with their main canon.

It wasn't until he'd gotten back to base, and the news reports had started playing and reporting casualties, that the obvious struck him. Then he's spent debriefing trying not to panic, praying that his poker face was good enough that Yzak and the recruits weren't suspicious, and trying to listen to every bit of news from Orb.

To see if _SHE_ was alright.

Dearka Elsman groaned and leaned back in his seat, resting his head in his hand. Here he was, hero of ZAFT...afraid of a phone.

Afraid it would go straight to the machine, since it was destroyed.

Afraid it would be her parents, still sobbing, telling him she was gone.

That she had died in the breaking of the world...and he had failed to protect her.

Pathetic. He was having trouble even thinking of her name. He couldn't ask for casualty lists without sounding suspicious; Yzak had given him a side eye while they were watching the news reports earlier (which was weird, because since when was Yzak even remotely astute about other people's emotional states?). Why hadn't she stayed at the PLANTs? Three months ago, when she had visited...when they had argued...he thought he'd managed his emotions following that, since they were still in occasional contact, but this display proved he was very wrong.

If she'd stayed here...he wouldn't have ever have had to be afraid for her.

"Damn it...I have to." Dearka snatched the phone out of the cradle and started hitting buttons. It took a minute to get a connection, since Orb was no short distance away from space. That was perfectly normal, even though every moment played on his dread.

"YOU ARE CONNECTED. ONE MOMENT PLEASE." The mechanical voice droned.

"Go to hell," he groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. So the phone terminal was still standing. At least that was something. Hopefully a good sign.

The phone rang once...twice...three times...then there was a click, and Dearka's heart jumped. He had so many things to say, to ask... _please be there...Miriallia..._

"Hello?"

Her voice washed over him like a warm wave. He felt like he couldn't breathe for a moment; relief constricted his throat and left him speechless. Thank god no one from the academy was there to see this, or he'd never hear the end of it.

"Mir...! Thank god!"

"Dearka?" Miriallia gasped. Down on Orb, the girl pulled her phone away from her ear and stared at it in shock for a second before raising it again. "I – where are you calling me from?"

"Space," He deadpanned, earning an annoyed huff from her that caused him to grin wider. She was alright. She was unchanged. "More seriously, from a ZAFT hanger on the moon. Where are you?"

"I...just got home from the Athens." She sounded bewildered. "I've been doing work as a photographer." He had a sneaking suspicion she was lying about that, just because of how she was saying it. If he was any less relieved to know she was alive, he would have been more annoyed. There would be time for being annoyed.

"I'm glad you're okay."

The words got out before he could stop them, and an uncertain pause hung in the air for a second. "That's why you -? Of course." The confusion drained out of her voice, and he could almost hear her smile a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine. Thank you. You...you did well, up there."

He knows what she means by that. He isn't sure what to think for a second. "Could've done better."

"There wasn't enough time." She sounded sympathetic, and a little worried, which was insane because _she_ had been on the surface when the pieces were falling and _she_ was the one who had been in so much danger and yet she was worried about _him?_ That was...

That was why he had...and why he still did...

Dearka made the decision all at once, even though his feelings were still so confused. He had to go and see her again. He had shore leave backed up, and since that one failed attack there had been no further attempts on the PLANTs. He could go to the surface for a week.

It took him two days to head down to Orb. Yzak was suspicious of his motives, but Dearka had the time backed up, and with no immediate crisis keeping him there the silver blonde reluctantly allowed his best friend to go. Yzak wasn't the type to admit that he was worried about his best friend, or felt he needed him around in case things got messy...but he was, inside. Which actually contributed to why he let Dearka go.

It seemed to be very important to him.

 _ ****~Later~****_

He found her out in the pouring rain, being followed by a pair of Serian's goons.

Dearka wasn't sure what made him more angry – the fact that they were stalking and intimidating her, or the fact that she had taken such a dangerous job after being upset that he had rejoined ZAFT those months ago. When one of them grabbed her and started dragging her, he decided on the first one. Luckily, Yunna's ability to choose talented goons was about as good as his dress sense. A pair of thugs were no match for a trained ZAFT officer. Dearka sent them running with nothing but rain and mud to indicate he'd been in a fight at all...his opponents had been less than lucky.

Actually, they were lucky – lucky he had let them live. After trying to hurt _her_.

Dearka turned to face her, stepping into her personal space and taking her arm. She had been clawed up – those miserable little shits – but she wasn't bleeding. However, she was lacking a raincoat, it was pouring cold rain, and he saw no signs of a car.

"I thought you didn't want dangerous work anymore." He snapped out. Inside, he cringed slightly; he probably shouldn't have opened with that, but he was angry and couldn't deny being angry. It wasn't just about her doing dangerous work.

It was about her leaving at that shuttle port, even as he silently begged her to stay. For leaving him after he, party boy extraordinaire, had realized how much she actually meant to him. For breaking his heart and letting him feel used.

Miriallia looked a mixture of relieved and indigent. "I thought it was important," She snapped out, her eyes flaring the way they always did when she felt challenged. "I'm not an idiot."

It made his chest hot, and heart painfully constrict. It still got a rise out of him, even when he was angry with her. "Sometimes I wonder...where's your _coat_ , for instance? Or your car?"

"It got towed – illegally, I'm pretty sure, but towed nonetheless – and I had to leave it once they spotted me. I was hoping to be inconspicuous." She shuddered violently, seeming to finally feel the impact of the rain. Her clothes were soaked through to her skin, it clung to her. She was beautiful and vulnerable and _dammit Dearka engage your brain, the two of you can't stay here._

"C'mon," Dearka said, and it was less of a request because he grabbed her arm and started pulling her. She didn't resist much, her eyes becoming more emotional...though how exactly, he wasn't sure.

The car was still idling where he left it – he had spotted her going around the corner and hit the breaks. He lead her around to the passenger side and gestured sharply at it. Miriallia frowned at him, wondering why he was so tense when the danger was past, and got in.

"Where're we headed?"

"Um...my parent's cottage. I've been working from there for a while." She gave him the address, still looking oddly at him, and off they went.

Miriallia felt she probably shouldn't be staring at him, but she couldn't help it. This made it the second time he'd saved her at Orb...and seeing him appear out of the mist and shadows to drive her attackers away was just as stunning as when that green beam of light had shot by her camera, blowing up the two skygraspers that had swarmed the Archangel. Dearka's expression was still tense and angry...she hadn't expected to see him so soon...

She shivered; the cold was sinking into her skin. "Thank you, for that." She said softly. "I hadn't expected..."

"I live to be unexpected." Dearka said dryly, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. "What were you doing out there? You're a journalist, aren't you?"

"Normally I'm a freelance photographer. But I shifted careers slightly when I heard that Cagalli's gotten engaged to Yuuna Roma Serian." Miriallia spat the last name out, eyes narrow. She had met Yuuna exactly twice and hated it both times.

"Serian?" Dearka echoed, and at least he sounded baffled instead of angry now. "And here I was thinking she and Athrun were going to tie the knot soon..."

"Yeah, me too. But Cagalli kept talking about the politics of being Orb's Chief Representative and her duty to the country last time I talked to her. I swear it was like listening to someone recite the ingredients for food colouring; she couldn't have been less enthusiastic talking about the upcoming wedding if she was being sold into slavery. Which wouldn't surprise me, when the groom is that prick..." She started rambling, "I mean really, if I had the choice between marrying Yuuna Roma Serian and shooting myself, I'd be reaching for the gun before you were done talking..."

"That bad, huh?" Dearka asked, surprised and slightly amused.

"He's a egotistical imbecile with wandering hands," Miriallia said tightly. "He thinks women should throw themselves at him, and can't comprehend the phrase 'no'. I met him twice and Cagalli had to distract him both times. 'playing hard to get'...that isn't a thing..."

Her diatribe trailed off when she noticed his knuckles whitening. His expression was still fairly neutral but she had gotten pretty good at reading his body language and now he was furious...Her heart started beating erratically, _does he still...no, he could just be irritated on principle._

"But forget about him, god knows I'm trying to. When did you get here?"

"About six hours ago." Dearka responded, his voice flat and controlled. "Haven't even picked my hotel yet. I called and you didn't answer your phone."

 _I didn't answer my phone once, and he tracked me down right away?_ "I didn't realize...I had my phone on silent."

"After the debris fall? You had your phone off?" Dearka's voice rose sharply, he still wasn't looking at her. "You're kidding, right?"

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"This _is_ the same woman who didn't want me to return to ZAFT, right?"

Mir's temper flared; he could always easily get under her skin, and she still wasn't sure what to make of how he was behaving. "I thought you would get court marshalled for desertion! Not to mention helping the Archangel! Excuse me for being worried!"

He blinked twice, surprised. Some of the tension left his shoulders, though not all of it."And _this_ is less dangerous _how_?"

"I wanted to help my friend! You understand that, don't you?"

He didn't answer for several moments. The car slowed down slightly, it was as if he didn't trust himself to drive carefully at the moment. His violet eyes flickered from the road to her; they were dark and full of emotions she couldn't identify, except for anger. "What if you got hurt? What would have happened if I hadn't shown up?"

Mir paused, nervous. She was pretty sure she could have gotten out of it...but if they had brought her to Yuuna...nope, definitely not worth thinking about. "I..."

"I really wish you'd think a bit, before you acted on your emotions." He said quietly...like he was talking to himself as well. "Your less likely to do something stupid."

"Like what?" Mir challenged, not liking where this discussion was going. It reminded her of that argument near the airport...the one that separated them and broke her heart.

Dearka snorted bitterly. "Like falling in love with a girl who only wanted a void in her heart filled... and then left."

The accusation winded her. For a second, Miriallia stared at him, mouth open in disbelief and hurt. It took her a few seconds to find her voice...and when she spoke, it was high pitched, anguished and furious simultaneously. " _How could you say that?!_ "

Dearka slammed on the breaks, stopping them at the side of the road. He turned and glared at her, eyes shimmering...almost like tears. And that realization was enough to spark tears in Miriallia as well, because he never, _ever_ cried or showed how upset he was. He always brushed it off with disarming sarcasm, refusing to let anyone know how they affected him.

"The _hell_ is that supposed to mean?!" He snapped. "I brought you to my home! I told you I hoped that you'd grow to like it there! You slept in my sister's room! _I left ZAFT for you in the middle of a war!"_ He hit his hand against the steering wheel. "I didn't care what anyone thought...you know even Yzak was giving me weird looks at the implications that I had feelings for a Natural? But it didn't stop me! I _wanted_ to be with you!" He paused, seething with mixed emotions, before finally snarling, _"_ And what did you _do?_ You took a shuttle back to Earth like none of it meant ANYTHING to you!"

Mir gaped at him...and suddenly found herself crying in earnest. She hadn't been in this kind of pain since Tolle had been shot down...and she had never, ever, felt like such a fool.

" _I thought you'd be better off without me!"_ She shouted back, before choking down a sob and leaning against her seat. "When I went to the terminal, I hadn't been planning to leave! I was...I was asking about getting PLANT citizenship." She said the last part as a whisper.

Dearka rocked back in his seat like he'd been punched; his eyes widened until it was comparable to the time she had nearly stabbed him, back in the Archangel's infirmary. "W...What?!"

"Yes!" Mir insisted, shaking her head. "I...I was having a bit of a fight with myself. My parents called me when I was walking to the desk and asked when I was coming home...they said-" she was almost afraid to say the name, afraid she'd hurt him more, but she needed to tell him everything so he'd know why she did what she did "-that Tolle's little sister was coming over to visit me. I – I kind of stood there, halfway to the desk, thinking to myself... _Is it wrong for me to be so happy right now?!_ Tolle had only been dead for six months, yet I was happy! Happier than I'd ever been! Because I was with you!"

She locked her fingers together in her lap, staring at them. "In the end, I decided to just ask about it...you know, the parameters? What's necessary? The lady at the desk kind of looked at me oddly, she asked why a Natural would be moving to the PLANTs _now_...like she didn't think it was a good idea. Then I ran into your dad-"

"Wait, wait – what?!" Dearka broke in, stuttering, confused. "What was my dad doing there?"

"He said he'd been looking for me." Mir said. Dearka's eyes, if possible, widened even further. "He asked me a few things, normal things, like what I was up to, where I was going...when I mentioned visiting the kiosk, he asked if I could sit down and talk to him for a minute." She took a shaky breath. "He told me about your room in the barracks getting set on fire...by people who were angry you had broke off to help the Archangel. Help _me_. He said that, if you were going to safely reintegrate into ZAFT, it would be safer if they didn't know you had a Natural friend."

"Friend?" Dearka echoed faintly. "Friend? He knew how I felt about you. It came up in the shouting match we had after my court marshal."

Mir looked down at her hands. "I told him I didn't really care. I'd be ready to face it with you. He kind of...sighed and shook his head, then he said that I wasn't the first girl to tell him that. I got mad, I told him I knew a lot about you, and that hadn't stopped me before. And that's when he told me about the PLANT marriage tradition."

"...And?!" Dearka prompted when she went silent for a minute, his voice tentative yet baited as he waited for the rest of the story.

"He asked me if I loved you. If I loved you enough to give you up." Mir said helplessly. "I was so confused. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't believe you'd actually been attacked, and then didn't tell me about it. I was afraid of how you'd feel if the PLANTs rejected you for good...because of _me_."

"Wha..." Usually, it amused her (or caused warm sensations in her heart) to render Dearka speechless. This was not one of those times. She finally raised her eyes and looked guiltily into those wide, distraught violet orbs.

Dearka's mind was spinning, rushing over the last few days they'd spent on the PLANTs that month, wondering how he'd missed any of this. "Wha...why didn't you _tell_ me?" He burst out finally. "I thought...I thought you – I thought you just wanted to leave!"

"I tried!" Mir protested. "I...I wasn't sure what to say! I ended up asking about the marriage thing first, which was _stupid_ because I should have _known_ it would annoy you to bring up your past girlfriends and it probably made me look petty and insecure so when you got angry _I_ panicked and decided to go!"

A fresh wave of tears burst from her eyes. "All those things...I felt so stupid...I was leaving behind all that happiness...but...I thought, if you'd call after me and ask me 'please don't go'. And...when you didn't...I thought..."

"I thought you wanted to leave!" It was Dearka's turn to explode in protest; all the anger had bled out of his voice, now he sounded upset and in shock. "When you said – I think I should go – like you were done, like you didn't need anything else. I – I wanted to call after you – but I thought it wouldn't matter to you!"

The two sat in stunned silence for a minute. Rain lashed down on the car, the echoing sound seeming to emphasize the shattering of what they thought had happened in that terminal. Now they were both trying to figure out how badly they had misunderstood each other – the weight of this lack of communication wore on them.

"I'm going to kill him," Dearka said suddenly, after five minutes. "I can't believe he sabotaged us, so he could try to bring Campbell into our lives. For the good of the PLANTs...damn it!"

"...Who?" Mir asked faintly. Suddenly she was extremely aware of how cold she was; she was trembling from head to toe.

"No one!" Dearka said, reaching out and placing his hand on hers. "She was just someone dad – Christ, Mir! You're freezing!" His apology broke off into an exclamation of alarm. "I can't believe – damn it." He put the car back in gear and burst down the road. Thankfully, it was late and there was little traffic to slow them.

"It'll be fine," she murmured. "We're close to home."

"You're gonna get a chill," He responded, agitated. She couldn't deny that; she just didn't want him to worry. They made it the rest of the way in relative silence; he was worried and she was trying to figure out what to say.

The cottage was near the ocean; it was still pouring rain when they arrived. Dearka threw his coat over her shoulders, ignoring her protest, before leading her up to the house and glancing in the windows. "I've been holding it by myself," Mir mumbled as a means of explanation as she dug for her keys. "Dad says it would be a place to start out."

"Huh." was his only response. Since the coming of age on the PLANTs was fifteen, he'd already been living on his own for a while – something he was kind of grateful for, considering his strained relationship with his father. The old man cared about him, but he was anarchic, stubborn and narrow minded when it came to getting along in the world – the way he planted doubt in Miriallia about her chances with his son proved that.

The door slid open and the twosome walked inside. It was a humble place, but a warm and well loved one – the memories of the family seemed to cling to the old fashioned wooden floors, carpets, and lights.

"The bathroom's upstairs." Mir explained, pausing at the staircase and looking Dearka over. She knew Coordinators didn't get chills, but he looked equally soaked now...water dripped down his face as he stared at her. He wasn't so wet that his clothes were see through, but his current state seemed to radiate softness and emphasized his leanness. _How could someone look so godlike?_ "There are probably some blankets there..."

"Right...wait here," He let go of her and vanished up the stairwell; her skin tingled where he'd been holding her arms. She flushed and walked into the living room, where she collapsed on the large couch. _It's been a few months, but just him touching me still makes my head spin. Those feelings never went anywhere, did they? I can't believe I read him so wrong that day..._

Warmth engulfed her from behind; the towels slid over her shoulders. "Thank you...ah?" She blinked; Dearka had sat down next to her and was gently rubbing the soft fabric against her skin. Heat radiated from her chest and her cheeks turned scarlet. _That's one way to warm up..._

Well, there was _another_ one, possibly even better, and the fact that she was even thinking about it caused her to squeak. _Get your brain out of the gutter, Mir! You're not even sure he's forgiven you yet!_

Dearka paused his work. "Sorry. Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. Not at all." _It's just my brain, suggesting I jump you._ "Really, it's fine." She reached up and touched his hand. "You're cold, Dearka..."

He smiled a bit. "Sorry."

"Don't be sorry. Thank you for being there." She smiled in turn. "You always seem to turn up and save me when things look their worst."

He flushed lightly – she was sure of it. "Nice to know I'm good for something."

"You're good for all kinds of things, and you know it." Mir responded lightly, meaning every word. Dearka's violet eyes brightened. "So, um, who's Campbell? You never did tell me."

He paused again, and let out a tired groan. It caused Mir to laugh, keeping that light in his eyes. "Meer Campbell. Dad tried to arrange it after my first would be queen stomped off in a huff after hearing about my 'reputation'."

Mir felt a sharp stab of possessiveness at the reminder. She didn't want to think about anyone holding Dearka but her.

He kept drying her off as he spoke, his hands gently rubbing her shoulders. "It was a nightmare, I'm telling you. She was so _needy_. Dragging me around everywhere, never letting me get a word in edgewise, and whenever I _did_ get to talk, she constantly had to be reminded that she was special and memorable. That, and she was extremely suspicious about _you_ , whenever a conversation even tangentially mentioned the Archangel, the war, or Naturals in general. She only stopped coming around shortly before the war, and honestly I don't care why. I told dad point blank there was no way that was going to work out."

Mir snorted. "I feel bad for whoever ends up with her...if you really love someone, you're happy and content just being with them. That you're special, and loved...it doesn't even need to be said."

"...Yeah." Dearka smiled at her.

Mir leaned against his shoulder as he finished drying her off. She swallowed the desire to moan and sigh contently, afraid of scaring him off. "You warm now?" He asked.

Her heart was a blazing furnace, and his every touch added fuel to its fires. "Very," She whispered.

Dearka paused a bit, somewhere between confused, uncertain...and hopeful. "...Well, that's good." He paused, and then started to stand up.

Mir shot to her feet. "Where are you going?"

"Uh, out...to find a hotel. It's getting late...I should probably find one."

Dearka started to walk in the direction of the door. Mir gasped slightly, _you didn't ask me not to leave-_ and right away she rushed after him and grabbed his arm, spinning him around.

Wide violet eyes met blue. "Please, don't go." He inhaled sharply. _Tell me not to leave and I'd stay no matter what_. She might as well have said the other three words, reaffirmed how she had realized she felt after the battle at Jachin, because they had the exact same impact. "Stay here." She tugged him back toward the couch, looking longingly into his eyes. "Stay with me."

The silence only lasted a second; then he surged forward and kissed her, the force knocking her backward onto the couch. Mir immediately threw her arms around his neck and kissed back; the force of it stung her lips yet it didn't matter. They stayed there for several seconds, him pinning her to the back of the couch, shifting his weight so he was completely on top of her. Dearka broke away for a moment, allowing her a second to catch her breath before lowering his head and kissing her again, more roughly than last time, sliding his arms around her back and holding her as close to his chest as possible. Mir wrapped her legs around his waist and tugged as his soaked shirt, fumbling with the buttons since she couldn't focus on them, on anything but him and his kisses.

Eventually she did get them undone, she pulled the sweatshirt off over his shoulders and ran her hands down his well muscled chest. Dearka laughed when he broke away; his eyes shone like stars going supernova and it was beautiful. Mir giggled, which rose to a delighted shriek as he started to kiss and nip at her neck and his hands got under her shirt. The only thing that distracted her was how cold his skin felt...which gave her a sneaky idea...

Gently pushing him back a bit, Mir sat up straight and said, "You're cold Dearka..."

"Am I?" He was grinning at her; she had missed that smile so much. "I don't feel cold."

"I can tell." Mir grinned coyly at him. "How about a hot bath? It'll warm us up."

He didn't miss the emphasis on _us_ , or the implications. "I love the sound of that," Dearka said, his voice low and husky. Mir yelped as he stood and swept her up in his arms, bridal style, and headed up the stairs.

 _ ****Later****_

Mir was woken by the radio the next morning, the droning voice interrupting her blissful state of rest. She raised her head slightly from her position, nestled safely in Dearka's arms, wrapped in the heavy blankets of her bed. Her entire body protested the movement; she had been very thoroughly exhausted the previous night...yet she was extremely content and satisfied.

Which is why it was a pity the radio served as an alarm clock...she had been in no presence of mind to shut it off the previous night. No, she'd had much better things to focus on. Unfortunately, that meant she was being distracted now. The news was more bad news...it seemed Cagalli had been cajoled into signing that treaty with the Atlantic Federation/Earth Alliance, after all.

Mir's eyes narrowed, and she rested her head back on the pillow, inches from her lover's. How Cagalli could sign Orb into a treaty with the same people who tried to blow them up at Josh-A, attacked Orb itself, or fired the nukes at the PLANTs...it simply did not make any sense.

She leaned against Dearka, lightly stroking his hair as she processed all this. She didn't trust the Federation...and she never would. Not after what it had done to both of them. She had been separated from the man holding her once...never again.

"...and the wedding will be held on the same day, admission is being discussed..."

Mir snorted. "Admission to a wedding...hah. Just like the Serians."

Dearka let out a soft moan and opened his eyes. "Mir? Whas that..."

"The radio." Mir responded, gently detangling herself from his arms temporarily to sit up and adjust the volume. "Cagalli was talked into signing that treaty..."

Dearka sighed, "Ah...Yzak's gonna _love_ that...I can already hear him ranting..." He eyed her hungrily. "Hey. Come closer. Ignore them..."

Mir smiled and lay down again, melting as he gently pulled her onto his chest and kissed her lips softly. She giggled as he ran his fingers down her back and whispered, "Aren't you tired? At all?"

"A little." He smirked. "I knew you were a live wire, Mir...but damn." Mir flushed darkly, prompting him to chuckle and kiss her again. "Want a distraction? Too worn out?"

"I'd love a distraction, but I think you should just kiss me," Mir responded softly. "I don't think I have the strength."

The radio droned on in the background, but this time neither heard it. About twenty minutes later, the sun was shining through the window, driving off further potential sleep. Instead Mir rested her head against Dearka's chest and muttered, "If Orb is going to join the Atlantic Federation, I don't think I want to stay here for that. It won't be Orb anymore. I wonder if Cagalli knows that."

"Eh, don't worry too much about Cags," Dearka said encouragingly. "She's probably had to sit through endless lectures about her 'responsibilities' as Orb's Representative. Those old idiots will have gone through great pains to make her doubt herself, but with someone like her, that just doesn't stick. If Serian's as insufferable as you said -" Mir made a face "-she won't put up with him for too long."

"I believe that; but what happens between then and now?" Mir wondered. The steady beat of Dearka's heart echoed in her ear, soothing her. "...How long do you have here Dearka?"

"About four more days. Unless something comes up, and Yzak starts yelling at me to get back to space." Dearka said that with considerable fondness, and a slight hint of concern.

"Take me with you." Mir whispered. "I want to go home with you."

"...You're sure?" Dearka asked tentatively.

"After last night, you have to ask?" Mir asked slyly. He smiled gently at her in turn, eyes warm and full of love. "I love you, Dearka. I'm so sorry you ever doubted that."

His arms tightened around her, gentle yet possessive. "Oh Mir." He nuzzled her neck lightly. "Of course I'll bring you home with me. You have no idea how much I wanted that."

She giggled lightly and kissed his forehead. "I do now..." She then looked contemplative for a moment. "Dearka, when I talked to that kiosk lady all that time ago, she said one way of gaining citizenship without having to deal with three mountains of paperwork was to marry in."

Dearka's eyes sparked. "And?"

"I'm pretty sure there's a civil centre about ten minutes from the shuttle terminal." She smiled at him and raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Is that so." He paused, then kissed her and got out of bed. "Well damn...I need to go grab something. Pack everything you need; I won't be long."

 ****Later****

Dearka was out for about an hour; when he returned to the cottage Mir had already locked up and was standing with her suitcase. She'd redirected the tow company to her father (who apparently accepted the phone call 'with a very knowing voice') and had been waiting for about ten minutes. She left Cagalli a wordy and pointed voicemail, told Kira and Lacus about her decision (Kira had made a semi annoying comment about how 'he'd been expecting that for ages') and emptied everything important into the bag.

The opal ring was the best he found in the two shops he'd gone through. She loved how it seemed to fit her perfectly. She slipped into the car seat, still somewhat damp from yesterday, and then they were off.

The reverend had been bemused to see them; he said he usually had a little more than a two hour's warning, but he was sympathetic to their dynamic (specifically, a coordinator and a natural, hoping to escape what the Atlantic Federation was cooking up) so he preformed the ceremony anyway.

It hadn't been how Miriallia had imagined getting married. Even back on Heliopolis, she had imagined a fairy tale setup with doves and ballgowns and a huge audience. But holding Dearka's hand while the minister spoke, she was just as happy as she might have been if that had come to pass...if not more.

Thanks to the shuttle's timing, they ended up getting the news about the Freedom abducting Cagalli from her wedding when they arrived at the PLANTs. Dearka had snickered; he'd come to know Kira well enough that he wasn't surprised by his 'plan'.

Though the pair _had_ been surprised to find Yzak and a slightly dumbstruck Athrun waiting for them at the terminal, once they arrived on the PLANTs. Apparently, the former had been assigned (re: forced) to act as the latter's bodyguard due to the current politics, so when he heard Dearka was returning early, they both gone to meet them.

The silver blonde had looked between them and deadpanned, "How did I guess. Who else would make you run off like that." He crossed his arms and said, "Nice to see you're alive, Haw."

"Elsman," Mir corrected him with a smile. "It's Elsman now." _Miriallia Elsman._

"Wow," Athrun managed after a startled pause, looking both surprised and pleased. "Congratulations, both of you."

"Yeah, I kind of put that together. I can _almost_ forgive you for forcing me to play bodyguard to Zala alone because of that." Yzak's eyes switched from her rings to Dearka. "You do realize Shiho's going to be squealing and demanding details the minute you step back into the hanger, right?"

"I'll try not to set her expectations to anything you can't match, Yzak." Dearka responded, causing his best friend to flush and curse at him and swear that it wasn't like that. Mir made a mental note to meet the mysterious Shiho, who could cause Yzak Joule to become flustered. Maybe she could offer some suggestions. She'd love to do well by the boy who was now, essentially, her brother.

They all left the terminal together. Miriallia smiled. For whatever uncertainty the future held...no longer seemed to be something to be feared. She was exactly where she wanted to be.

 **End**

 _ **This makes me want to write a wedding for the GS and GSD characters. Hope you enjoyed it!**_

 _ **Read and Review please!**_


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